Stephen C. Ferruolo

Areas of Expertise

Dean Ferruolo specializes in the areas of business, corporate and biotech law. He advises USD's National Transactional LawMeet® team and co-teaches business planning and in-house corporate counseling.

Professional Experience

Ferruolo clerked for the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He served as the founding partner and chair of the San Diego office of Goodwin Procter LLP. Ferruolo was also a partner and co-chair of the Corporate/VLG Practice Group at Heller Ehrman LLP in its Palo Alto, Calif. and San Diego offices. From 2003 to 2011, he served as vice president and general counsel of BIOCOM, the world’s largest regional life sciences association, and then as its vice chairman from 2011 to 2014. Ferruolo was named dean of USD School of Law and joined the faculty in 2011.

Honors and Affiliations

Ferruolo graduated magna cum laude from Wesleyan University and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He is a member of the Order of the Coif. In 2006, BIOCOM awarded him with the William W. Otterson Service Award, presented for outstanding support of the life sciences industry in San Diego. In 2011, the Daily Journal listed him as one of the "Top 25 Biotech Lawyers in California." He was also selected for inclusion in the Corporate Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, and Venture Capital Law categories of The Best Lawyers in San Diego. Ferruolo is listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the Life Sciences category and in the biotechnology law category of The Best Lawyers in America.

Key Works

Ferruolo's publications include The Origins of the University: The Schools of Paris and Their Critics (Stanford University Press, 1985).